Is it normal?

Question
QUESTION: My hamster is about three months old now and is a girl. I bought her about a month and a half ago. She seems to be about 6 inches long already and about 145 grams when I tried to weigh her. Is this normal?
Otherwise she's completely hyper and playful and tame. She's a Syrian.
Can I give her a few drops of milk occasionally?
She's also a major bar biter. I don't really know how to stop it as my options are limited because I live in India and hamsters are quite rare here.

ANSWER: Hi Akshaya

Thanks for your question.  Syrian hamsters can be quite large - but I suspect by the sounds of it she is fully grown by now.

You can give a little milk but make sure you remove any left over each day so that it doesn't go bad.  Milk can turn very quickly in the warmer weather so it is important she doesn't get sick.  I don't give mine milk - instead of milk I sometimes give mine baby food - I buy a packet of the powdered type and mix a little with water.  This is a treat for them, or if they are ill or elderly as it is full of nutrients.  Make sure she has her usual dry mix too so that she has things to chew otherwise her teeth will overgrow.  If there aren't many hard pieces in her dry mix you can add some broken dog biscuits.

The bar biting is sometimes a habit but also sometimes it is because they need to keep their teeth short as they grow all the time.  Keep a watch on her teeth to make sure they don't break or get damaged - in which case you might need to trim them. Make sure she has things to chew - hence dog biscuits might be a good idea in addition to her usual dry mix.

I hope this helps you.
Regards
Sheila

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: She also seems to love grinding her teeth on the corners of rooms. Which I find weird. What's your opinion on this?
In the mornings, when she is sleeping, does she require a really dark room?
Also, she never seems to drink water at all. I have a bottle of water in her cage and I've also tried putting water in a bowl, yet she doesn't really drink it.

Answer
Hi

Thanks for the update.

Grinding teeth and chewing bars for some hamsters is normal.  It is a real nuisance, but it can be hard to snap them out of this behaviour, other than to make sure they have plenty of hard things to chew to keep their teeth short.

You don't have to put them in a really dark room.  All my hamster cages are at the far end of my room, away from windows.  It is important that they are not in direct sunlight otherwise they can overheat - so away from a window is best.  

The fact that she doesn't appear to drink is a good sign.  Excessive water drinking in hamsters usually indicates illness.  Even if you don't notice her drinking it is still very important that she has fresh water supply daily.

Regards
Sheila